''Scleroderma'' is a
genus of
fungi, commonly known as earth balls, now known to belong to the
Boletales order, in
suborder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Sclerodermatineae. The best known species are ''
S. citrinum'' and ''
S. verrucosum''. They are found worldwide.
Various members of this genus are used as inoculation symbionts to colonize and promote the growth of tree seedlings in nurseries.
They are not edible.
The name comes from the
Greek ''sclera'' meaning ''hard'' and ''derma'' meaning ''skin''.
Description
The
peridium (outer wall), which may be smooth or warted, is very thick and tough. At maturity it splits irregularly over the upper part of the
basidiocarp to reveal the dark
gleba underneath.
Spore
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...
s are produced in small brownish-purple, pea-like bodies called peridioles that initially are outlined by wall-like aggregations of white
hyphae
A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
Structure
A hypha consists of one or ...
. These peridioles disintegrate as the fruit body matures, and by the time the peridium splits open, only a powdery mass of dark spores is visible. Spores are roughly spherical in shape with warts or
reticulate ornamentation, thick-walled, and brown. Species in ''Scleroderma'' are
ectomycorrhizal
An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobi ...
with shrubs and trees, and have a worldwide distribution.
See also
*
List of ''Scleroderma'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1383511
Boletales
Boletales genera